I was disheartened to hear about the imprisonment of 24 year-old Ras Pompy. I have been following this youngster’s career since he was aged ten. The dedication and the hard work he exerted in his music was exceptional.
I have often said that there is a nexus between Zimdancehall music and drug and substance use among ghetto youths in Zimbabwe.
However, not all Zimdancehall artistes are involved in substance abuse. Some Zimdancehall musicians now advance a counter-narrative that castigates drug and substance abuse, opposing the earlier one where some of them tended to ‘glorify’ it given the addiction and mental health challenges that youths now face in life.
Mbare born Zimdancehall artist, Nyasha Reginald Mano, known to his fans as Ras Pompy, has been sentenced to six months behind bars. The conviction comes after a dramatic high-speed car chase with detectives and the discovery of a significant quantity of drugs in his vehicle. The seized items were detailed in court as: 24 bottles of 100ml Broncleer cough syrup, 20 bottles of 100ml Benylin cough syrup and 55 bottles of 100ml Astra Pain cough syrup.
Ras Pompy started off his career at a very young age. At eight, he did his debut recording Mwari Baba. His popular tracks include, Nzira Dzevakoma, Style and Pattern, Tochivharira, Change Giya and Tobhilivha na Most High. Remember that?
In 2014, he toured the UK as part of the Zvirikumbofamba Sei Tour with other musicians such as Jay C, Lady Bee, Dhadza D, Loud H, Mbada and Lewaz Skattah. In that same year, he was nominated in the Best Zimdancehall Youngster category.
Ras Pompy attended Morgan High School before getting a scholarship to study at Borrowdale Brook Academy. The scholarship is a community programme for disadvantaged, but talented children. His father died in 2001 when he was just a toddler. His mother had challenges sending her children to school. This prompted Ras Pompy to find means of helping his mother. This included selling drugs.
He turned to music at 13 and his career was able to take care of the basic needs of his family.
- Uplifting ghetto youths is our priority: Gyver
- Winky D continues with regional dominance
- Mr P Banks on latest offering
- No chill at Chillspot Records… jail sentence, GBV, sex tape major hits
Keep Reading
His career began at ChillSpot Records under the guidance of top Zimdancehall producers, Arnold Kamudyariwa and Rodger Kadzimwe.
Zimdancehall lyrical content, peer group pressure, family disintegration, lack of parental guidance, poverty, and parental unavailability have been some of the factors often associated with drug use/abuse by youths in the country, and Zimdancehall musicians ought to strongly educate and encourage youths to desist from all forms of drug and substance use and abuse.
Ras Pompy was hauled before Harare magistrate, Gamuchirai Gore, who found the musician guilty of contravening the Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act on September 22, 2025. The conviction followed a full trial where the court heard detailed evidence of the events that led to his arrest. A search of the Honda Fit he was driving was conducted following the arrest. Prosecutors stated that the search yielded a haul of 100 bottles of assorted cough syrups. The estimated street value of the seizure was put at US$396 (approx. ZIG 9,200).
If I was the magistrate, given Ras Pompy’s circumstances, I would give him a suspended sentence or community service then send him for counselling
It is unfortunate that kids like Ras Pompy have not learned from their predecessors how drugs can be harmful to society even if it means selling them for personal survival. Their heroes such as the late Soul Jah Love have shown us that drug abuse or the hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol have negative health consequences.
A lot of musicians who are shy to go on stage and face their crowds think that their performances can be enhanced by taking drugs.
It is not only in Zimbabwe where this happens.
Internationally, we have had superstars like Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Prince and Michael Jackson being caught up in drug abuse. These superstars whom we thought had it all were subjected to tremendous pressure to do more and more performances, produce more and more songs, and hits, thus bringing more profits for their managers, producers and their record companies.
I remember Mike Ralph of RTP Records saying to me before Simon Chimbetu was imprisoned for car theft: “We must record him sterek (as much as possible) before he goes to jail. We will sell his product while he is serving his sentence”.
This shows you how greedy record companies can be and how pressure is mounted on some musicians. They have little time to sleep or spend with their families.
There is growing concern that drug and substance abuse has become a major problem in Zimbabwe due to high unemployment, poverty and dispirited youths among other factors.
The Judicial Service Commission of Zimbabwe has officially launched a network of specialised courts dedicated solely to prosecuting cases involving drug and substance abuse. The initiative aims to fast-track the legal process and ensure that offenders face the full might of the law.
The announcement was made by Walter Chikwana, the Secretary of the JSC, during a high-level training programme for senior legal officers held in the capital.
Chikwana revealed that the commission has already identified and assigned specific magistrates and prosecutors nationwide to handle the escalating number of cases.
As I said before, there is need for counselling and rehabilitation services within Zimbabwe to eradicate this new scourge or manifestation of drug abuse instead just arresting and imprisoning offenders.
Some of the ways to prevent drug abuse are to educate communities on the dangers of drug abuse, learn and practise healthy coping skills, foster strong family relationships, live a healthy, balanced lifestyle,, take only prescribed medication, maintain self-esteem and purpose, take part in social activities which are not harmful to one’s well-being and not to succumb to peer pressure....
Feedback: [email protected]
